Tito Vilanova

Tito Vilanova

Vilanova in 2012
Personal information
Full name Francesc Vilanova Bayó
Date of birth (1968-09-17)17 September 1968
Place of birth Bellcaire d'Empordà, Spain
Date of death 25 April 2014(2014-04-25) (aged 45)
Place of death Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1984–1988 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1990 Barcelona B 52 (6)
1990–1992 Figueres 72 (6)
1992–1995 Celta 26 (1)
1995–1996 Badajoz 33 (2)
1996–1997 Mallorca 10 (0)
1997–1998 Lleida 21 (3)
1998–2000 Elche 63 (6)
2000–2001 Gramenet 28 (2)
Total 305 (26)
Teams managed
2003–2004 Palafrugell
2007–2008 Barcelona B (assistant)
2008–2012 Barcelona (assistant)
2012–2013 Barcelona
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Francesc "Tito" Vilanova Bayó (17 September 1968 – 25 April 2014) was a Spanish professional football central midfielder and manager.

After a professional career which consisted of 26 La Liga games in three seasons combined, all with Celta, he went on to work with Barcelona as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola, being part of the squads that won 14 titles.[1]

In 2012 Vilanova was appointed first-team manager, winning the national championship in his first and only season. He stepped down in July 2013 due to ill health, and died the following year from cancer.

Playing career

Born in Bellcaire d'Empordà, Girona, Catalonia, Vilanova emerged in the youth ranks of local FC Barcelona, but left the La Liga giants in 1990 unable to break through into the first team.[1] His next club was also in his native region, UE Figueres, with the player helping the team to its best-ever Segunda División classification in the 1991–92 campaign (third place); the team would eventually face Cádiz CF in the promotion play-offs, losing 1–3 on aggregate.

Subsequently Vilanova moved to the top level with Celta de Vigo, but appeared rarely over the course of three full seasons,[2] returning to division two in 1995 and representing CD Badajoz, RCD Mallorca – contributing with ten games as the Balearic Islands side promoted to the top flight – UE Lleida and Elche CF, retiring in December 2001 with lowly UDA Gramenet.[3][4]

During his time at Lleida, in a 1998 Copa Catalunya game against Barcelona, coached by José Mourinho who swapped responsibilities with head coach Louis van Gaal during the tournament, Vilanova scored a goal, becoming the first player to net against a team directed by the Portuguese.[5]

Managerial career

Vilanova (far right) as an assistant manager of Barcelona B

Vilanova started his coaching career in 2003–04, being in charge of Tercera División side FC Palafrugell and suffering relegation to Primera Catalana.[6][7] After working as technical director at Terrassa FC he was appointed assistant manager at FC Barcelona B, under manager Pep Guardiola, with the club in the fourth level.[1]

In the summer of 2008, after leading the reserve side to promotion to Segunda División B, Vilanova and Guardiola were assigned to the Barcelona first team, replacing Dutch duo Frank Rijkaard and Johan Neeskens.[1] His first season at the Camp Nou was the most successful in Barcelona's history, with the club winning six major trophies and becoming the first in Spain to win the Copa del Rey, league and UEFA Champions League titles (the treble) in the same season.[8]

On 27 April 2012, at the press conference in which Barcelona confirmed Guardiola's departure, it was also announced that Vilanova would be his successor.[9] On 15 June he signed a two-year contract,[10] and the team went on to lose only eight competitive games during the season, winning its 22nd domestic championship.

Health issues and death

On 19 December 2012, Barcelona announced that Vilanova was suffering from parotid gland cancer for the second time.[11][12] He was first diagnosed on 22 November of the previous year.[13]

Vilanova underwent surgery on 20 December, subsequently being in chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment for around six weeks.[14] Assistant Jordi Roura took over as head coach, with the head manager returning to the bench in late March 2013.[15]

On 19 July 2013 Vilanova resigned as Barcelona manager as he relapsed from his condition, stating that the related treatment was not compatible with the status of a professional manager.[16][17] He died on 25 April 2014, due to complications from cancer, at the age of 45 after suffering a relapse the previous week.[18][19][20]

Personal life

Vilanova was married to Montse Chaure.[21] The couple had two children, daughter Carlota and son Adrià, with the latter also being involved in Barcelona's youth system.[22]

Honours

Manager

Barcelona

Individual

Managerial record

Team From To Record[23]
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Barcelona 1 July 2012[8] 18 December 2012[24] 27 23 2 2 77 28 +49 085.19
Barcelona 6 January 2013[24] 23 January 2013[24] 5 3 1 1 16 6 +10 060.00
Barcelona 1 April 2013[24] 19 July 2013[16] 13 8 3 2 28 17 +11 061.54
Total 45 34 6 5 121 51 +70 075.56

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Marcet, Jaume (22 June 2008). "Guardiola's right-hand man". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  2. ↑ "Tito Vilanova" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Shaw, Duncan (28 December 2008). "Guardiola's dilemma: should I stay or should I go?". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  4. ↑ Ayala, Manuel (21 December 2001). "Xuts" [Kicks]. Mundo Deportivo (in Catalan). Barcelona. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "Tito Vilanova, el primer a marcar un gol a Mourinho com a entrenador" [Tito Vilanova, first to score goal against Mourinho as a manager]. Ara (in Catalan). 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Sempre ho ha tingut clar" [It has always been clear]. El Punt (in Catalan). Girona. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "De Palafrugell al Camp Nou en 10 anys" [From Palafrugell to the Camp Nou in 10 years]. Diari de Girona (in Catalan). 28 April 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Guardiola: Barca are the "best team in the world"". ESPN Soccernet. 27 May 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  9. ↑ "Vilanova follows Guardiola". ESPN Soccernet. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  10. ↑ "Tito Vilanova to sign deal to become Barcelona manager". BBC Sport. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  11. ↑ "Tito recae en su enfermedad" [Tito relapses in illness]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 19 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  12. ↑ "Tito Vilanova recae de su enfermedad" [Tito relapses in illness]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 19 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  13. ↑ "Tito Vilanova, operado de un tumor en Barcelona" [Tito Vilanova, tumor surgery in Barcelona]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 22 November 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  14. ↑ "Tito Vilanova será operado este jueves" [Tito Vilanova to be operated Thursday] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  15. ↑ "Roura viaja con el billete para Vilanova" [Roura travels with ticket to Vilanova]. Marca (in Spanish). 22 March 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Tito Vilanova: Barcelona manager steps down through ill health". BBC Sport. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  17. ↑ "Tito Vilanova deja el Barça" [Tito Vilanova leaves Barça]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 19 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "Muere Tito Vilanova" [Tito Vilanova dies]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 25 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  19. ↑ "Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol attend memorial for Tito Vilanova as Barcelona players say farewell to former boss". Daily Mail. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "Ex-Barcelona coach loses cancer battle aged 45". BBC Sport. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  21. ↑ "Montse Chaure/ Montse Vilanova: FC Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova’s wife". Fabwags. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  22. ↑ "Adrià Vilanova, hijo de Tito, se entrena con el Barcelona" [Adrià Vilanova, son of Tito, trains with Barcelona]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 26 September 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  23. ↑ "FC Barcelona" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "FC Barcelona » Manager history". Worldfootball. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
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